The Toulouse Court of Appeal judged the former director of Emmaüs Tarn-et-Garonne and his deputy this Thursday, November 14. Initially prosecuted for misappropriation of cash to the detriment of Emmaüs, the two men aged 55 and 41, and their respective spouses, cleared during the first trial, defended themselves tooth and nail.
Emmaüs, absent from the trial, is no longer a civil party
Unlike the first trial which was held in Montauban last November, this time Emmaüs is no longer a civil party. This second trial is being held at the exclusive request of the prosecution and the attorney general requires the reclassification of the facts of embezzlement into facts of laundering of tax fraud.
The director of Emmaüs, questioned at length on the stand, explains calmly. Eight months have passed since the first hearing and the former director of Emmaüs Tarn-et-Garonne had time to provide the court with an Excel table listing the origin of the cash sums received, i.e. 83,500 euros in 5 years of 2018 to 2022: financial assistance from his very wealthy in-laws and financial participation in the daily expenses of the many foreigners whom he has hosted and continues to host in his home.
“I didn’t take anything from Emmaus”
Very calm and dignified, he proclaims his innocence and agrees to speak on the microphone of France Bleu Occitanie. He says he has nothing to reproach himself for: “Absolutely nothing. I didn't take anything at Emmaüs. I'm up and running today and in better health, fortunately. But all that destroys. I lost my job. It is not forbidden to have cash. And I come from a family of farmers from the north of the Lot who lost everything. I dealt with my parents' bankruptcy between the ages of 17 and 19. We had nothing left to live on. My sister was nine and my brother was eleven. That's how we survived. For me, it is a means of survival and a means of security. And yes, I had a lot of money, cash, but we could prove line by line where it came from. There is real relentlessness, a second case hanging over our heads just for having helped people. If you have to be condemned to help in this world, I ask myself a lot of questions about this society.” Christian Calmejane is indicted in an investigation for concealed work.
Today, Christian Calmejane is no longer at the head of Emmaüs 82. After burnout, he was dismissed for incapacity last July. He is in professional retraining to become a nurse. His former assistant, who still works at Emmaüs, explained the possession of cash by the resales of the car he repaired. The only question that remains unanswered is the hole of €57,000 in the Emmaüs fund for the year 2019. According to the defense, many people had access to the association's coffers.
The prosecution, which denounces the absence of income tax declaration, requires a conviction for laundering tax fraud, and sentences ranging from 6 months to 12 months in prison. The court's decision will be rendered on January 23, 2025 at 2 p.m. in this case.
